need help deciding what to dose

[nathan212178]

I've been in the hobby for 3 years but id consider myself semi beginner intermediate and have been recommended last year to dose as my levels have not been stable between water changes. Being a student whos about to head to college, school has not let me research what i really need in terms of what to dose that doesn't take much effort to maintain to be successful.
I've been recommended Brightwell A, B and red sea magnesium supplements for about a year with dosers for each and have tried maintaining the need of the tank but i have not seen a lot of growth except for my soft corals and a few of my lps corals but its not major
im currently running a passed down Red Sea Max Nano and not sure if what Im dosing is good for a mixed reef. I do test but I have not had a lot of time to do so, but I'm sure what I'm currently dosing does not exceed the normal standard Ive aimed for (9 alk, 420 cal, 1350 mag) I know there is test results from ATI and such that give detailed results but since its a small tank i feel like it would be a waste because it fluctuates and because Im running on a bit of a budget except for stuff I would need long term (salt, supplements, etc.) and I know there are a lot of supplements for dosing but just not sure what fits to my circumstance

I wanted to know what would be recommended in my situation that it could be low maintenance mix reef (if possible)? so I can look into it a bit more.
I did see aqua forests 1+2+3+ bundle and how much dosage is carries but not sure how effective it is.

ps ive been having this green long tentacle toadstool that grew 3x that's been my main reason for my inspiration for the hobby

 

[Lavey29]

Are you going to hand dose or set up a doser? First you need to determine rate of consumption. Check alk for 3 days at the exact same time each day and determine your primary rate of consumption. Alk and calcium reduce proportionally so those are the 2 primary elements that need to be dosed
Magnesium reduces at a much slower rate and can be added weekly or monthly as needed.

 

[nathan212178]

Are you going to hand dose or set up a doser? First you need to determine rate of consumption. Check alk for 3 days at the exact same time each day and determine your primary rate of consumption. Alk and calcium reduce proportionally so those are the 2 primary elements that need to be dosed
Magnesium reduces at a much slower rate and can be added weekly or monthly as needed.

yes theyre all on dosers, i think alk takes up 9-10 ml, cal 6 ml, and mag 3 ml, i have not checked in a bit but when im able to go get new supplements again i can test my water there too

 

[bushdoc]

I recommend E.S.V. B-Ionic Calcium Buffer System and not because I have stock in it, but because it is widely available online and most LFS, includes some trace elements and it comes in different sizes, including one which would be suitable for your tank size.

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[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I've been recommended Brightwell A, B and red sea magnesium supplements for about a year with dosers for each and have tried maintaining the need of the tank but i have not seen a lot of growth except for my soft corals and a few of my lps corals but its not major
im currently running a passed down Red Sea Max Nano and not sure if what Im dosing is good for a mixed reef. I do test but I have not had a lot of time to do so, but I'm sure what I'm currently dosing does not exceed the normal standard Ive aimed for (9 alk, 420 cal, 1350 mag) I know there is test results from ATI and such that give detailed results but since its a small tank i feel like it would be a waste because it fluctuates and because Im running on a bit of a budget except for stuff I would need long term (salt, supplements, etc.) and I know there are a lot of supplements for dosing but just not sure what fits to my circumstance

That is one long - butt sentence!!

 

[Lavey29]

yes theyre all on dosers, i think alk takes up 9-10 ml, cal 6 ml, and mag 3 ml, i have not checked in a bit but when im able to go get new supplements again i can test my water there too

Well if your not at least checking alk, phos and nitrates weekly along with cal and magnesium monthly then your tank could be way off in some areas.

 

[nathan212178]

That is one long - butt sentence!!

ik sorry!! i tried to give as much info but guess punctuation slipped a bit lol

 

[nathan212178]

Well if your not at least checking alk, phos and nitrates weekly along with cal and magnesium monthly then your tank could be way off in some areas.

maybe so.. im relying on water changes as of now until i do research and a restock on supplements in my lfs. but ill for sure test for those!

 

[Lavey29]

maybe so.. im relying on water changes as of now until i do research and a restock on supplements in my lfs. but ill for sure test for those!

Good, on small tanks water changes are generally all that is needed to maintain optimal levels.

 

[nothing_fancy]

For something like that I would keep it as simple as possible. Water changes and Tropic Marin AFR would be my go to for something like that. Since you likely won't have loads of time to deal with the tank, you could test your alk for a while until you know its somewhat stable, get a single kamoer pump and set it to dose AFR daily. If your mag creeps up you can back it off. Same with ALK although AFR is pretty easy on ALK. I wouldn't dose up mag alone it can get out of control very quickly. If anything you can supplement some trace elements weekly, KZ Meerwasser works well for that but there are many options. You'd also probably be fine just doing water changes in a tank like that especially if you're using a salt like RC